


Fill You In

by kegofglory



Category: The Hating Game - Sally Thorne
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-16
Updated: 2017-03-16
Packaged: 2018-10-05 23:42:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10320254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kegofglory/pseuds/kegofglory
Summary: Josh’s eyes dart down to her toes as she kicks off her bright yellow heels. He fights a smile for what may be the thousandth time since he started at B & G one month ago. His eyes trail back up to hers, and her eyes are smiling victoriously at his. He looked away first.Of course, her mouth is a resolute line, as she saves her smiles for everyone but him. He guesses that is part of the game for her. They definitely have different ideas of what constitutes a victory in their games.AKA my idea of what was going on between our favorite spitfires one month after the merger.





	

Joshua Templeman locked eyes with Lucinda Hutton for the first time exactly four weeks ago. His girlfriend, Mindy, broke up with him three weeks and three days ago, around the same time he decided to paint his bedroom walls to match the color of Lucy’s eyes, not that Mindy knew that. 

Lucy is brighter than usual today, her eyes dancing as they engage his in yet another round of the Staring Game. 

Her phone rings, and she raises an eyebrow, grabbing the phone and pressing it to her ear without taking her eyes off of his. “Bexley and Gamin, this is Lucy Hutton,” she greets professionally.

He likes it a little better this way, he thinks, because there is something about watching her when she’s distracted, when her guard is down, that makes his entire body go warm.

She nods, as if the person on the other end of line can see her. Josh’s eyes dart down to her toes as she kicks off her bright yellow heels. He fights a smile for what may be the thousandth time since he started at B & G one month ago. His eyes trail back up to hers, and her eyes are smiling victoriously at his. He looked away first.

Of course, her mouth is a resolute line, as she saves her smiles for everyone but him. He guesses that is part of the game for her. They definitely have different ideas of what constitutes a victory in their games. 

“Yeah, it’s on East Ninth Street. Next to that drugstore…yeah, there,” she’s saying, and now she’s looking at her computer screen since he ended their previous game. 

She pauses, and it seems she is only half listening. She laughs. “Well, I doubt it, seeing as that would require him to do something fun and outside of his ever so predictable routine.” When she says this, she looks pointedly at Josh, and he shoots her a look of faux pain, placing a hand on his chest and mouthing 'are you talking about me?'

She smirks, turning her attention back to the computer screen.

“Yeah, I’ll see you at eight,” she says lightly, and sets the phone back on the receiver. 

He watches as she starts scanning the contents of a pink paper on her desk. Her brows furrow in concentration and Josh’s heart does that thing where it stops for a beat, and then works in double time to make up for it. He swallows and decides to focus on his own work, or at least pretend to. 

Twenty minutes of silence passes, and Josh can feel the moment her eyes are on him. He waits it out, though, just to piss her off. Inwardly, he’s grinning like buffoon.

“Can I help you?” he finally asks, his eyes still on his computer screen. 

She clears her throat. “Well, Joshua, I was just wondering if you were going to be attending our little outing tonight.”

The tone in her voice tells that she already knows what his answer will be, and that she is merely asking the question out of obligation. 

And yes, he had been planning on skipping the whole thing, but her assumption has him considering a different route. 

“Little outing?” he asks, playing dumb. He makes a show of looking at her, as if sparing a look in her direction while he tries to get work done is the biggest inconvenience of all. “What are you talking about?”

Lucy rolls her eyes, her beautiful eyes, and props her chin up on her palm, giving him her undivided attention.

“Don’t play dumb with me, Templeman. You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

He shakes his head, shrugging before placing his chin in his palm as well, mirroring her. 

“Oh!” he feigns recognition. “Was that what you were talking about on the phone earlier? Something about how I wouldn’t break my boring routine, right?”

She nods earnestly. “Yep, that’s the one. So… can I just let everyone know for sure that you won’t be there or…?” she trails off, circling her finger in the air to imply that she is already growing impatient.

“Yeah, I’ll be there,” he says easily, and the incredulous expression that takes over her features is well worth a night of spending time with his moronic coworkers.

“What...why?” is what she manages to spurt out.

Josh tilts his head to the side, and he thinks about standing up and kissing that look of surprise right off her face. He picks up his pencil and makes a mark next to the date. 

“Well, this is an opportunity to show that I, too, am happy to celebrate one whole month of this merger. And what better way than to go to the bar with everyone, Bexley’s and Gamin’s alike?” His voice is smooth as butter, but she still isn’t buying it. 

“Right, I forgot how much you enjoy spending time with other people. Besides, isn’t your battery going to be dead by eight? You gotta get home and recharge over night, right?”

Robot jokes. That’s a new one. He feels himself almost smile, but he catches himself. 

“I’ll bring my backup, but thanks for your concern.”

She presses her lips together, and Josh watches as the wheels begin to turn in her mind. She opens her mouth to say something more, but then Helene is calling her name. He hears a tiny growl come from Lucy before she stands up abruptly, tossing him a withering look before she disappears into the office.

He takes advantage of the moment of solitude and shakes silently with laughter. This woman, god, she’s so funny. In the fifteen minutes that Lucy is gone for, Josh starts to work on the expense report. 

When Lucy comes back out, she avoids eye contact with him. He watches the clock on his computer change from 4:59 to 5. 

She begins to turn off her computer, so he does too even though he should probably stick around and get a little more work done. He stands up and grabs his gym bag from the floor while she throws her phone and red lipstick into her tiny black purse. They head toward the elevator together in silence. When the door pings shut, she presses the B button. 

They stand at opposite ends of the elevator and Lucy is tapping her toe impatiently. The doors open and Lucy darts out, speed walking to her crappy car. When she opens her door, Josh opens his own door, three spaces down, and shouts to her. “See you at eight, Shortcake!” 

She groans, slamming her door shut, and he finally allows himself to chuckle now that she is peeling out of the parking garage.

_______________________________________________________________________

When Josh shows up to PJ’s pub, it’s ten after eight and almost everyone has already arrived, spread out among five to six tables near the dart boards. He scans the room for the familiar robin’s egg blue eyes and when he finds them, they are looking directly at his. She tears her eyes from his, turning back to the bartender to order her drinks, smiling kindly.

Soft pop music is playing, and the sounds of laughter and chatter surround him. He beelines straight to the bar, ordering himself a jack and coke. He sits down at the stool, unsure of who he would even go talk to from B and G if it’s not Lucy. He finds her sitting at a table with two gamin’s and a bexley. Even in casual wear, you can tell who is who. She’s laughing at something they said and like clockwork, she looks up at him. He wonders if she can feel his eyes burn into her like he can when she looks at him. 

She excuses herself from the table and he watches as she slowly makes her way to him, her empty drink in hand. She sits down on the empty bar stool beside him and sighs. “Hello, Joshua,” she says coolly. 

“Lucinda,” he responds. 

When a bartender comes over, she smiles. “May I have another titos and soda with lime,” she orders, throwing down a few bills. 

“Working fast on those drinks, I see,” he comments.

She frowns in response, staring down at her new drink and then pivoting in her barstool to face him. 

“So, are you going to come join the rest of us or continue to brood at the wall?” she asks breezily before squeezing the lime into her drink. 

“Don’t worry about me, Shortcake,” he says, and god, she smells like candy. She grimaces, eyebrows knit together in annoyance. He started calling her Shortcake about a week ago when he had found out about her parents and her childhood. It slipped out of his mouth, actually, and as soon as it did he almost winced. How painfully obvious can he make it that he’s in love with her? 

She didn’t seem to catch on, though, and she makes the cutest face of irritation every time he does it, so he keeps it up. 

“You’re such a pain, Joshua. You know that, right?” she asks. She speaks slowly, her heart not into the fight. 

He finally turns fully to look at her, and their knees bump each other. She moves to the side slightly, but the side of her knee is still resting lightly on the side of his. The touch is enough to send sparks throughout his entire body. 

“I’ve been told once or twice. You alright tonight Lucinda? You don’t seem quite like yourself.”

She looks up at him, confusion in her eyes. The sincerity of his words must catch her off guard. “You don’t really know me, so I’d say you’re not equipped to decide when I am and am not acting like myself.”

He nods, hands up in defeat. “Right. Well. I’ll be playing darts if you need someone to torture,” he says, and he brushes past her softly when he heads to the back of the bar. 

_______________________________________________________________________

Josh has a pretty decent time at the bar, which surprises him. He gets annoyed with his coworkers at different points throughout the night, but he wins every darts competition that he participates in, so he’s feeling pretty good about himself. 

By 11:30, about half of the B and G employees have left. He sees Lucy sitting at the bar by herself, nursing yet another titos and soda. He heads toward her, settling into the empty seat beside her. 

He’s quiet, and orders himself a water when the bartender swings by. She inhales deeply beside him, and finally turns to look at him. 

“You smell nice,” she says.

He almost laughs, the words jarring and amusing. “Yeah? How’s that vodka treating you tonight, Lucinda?” 

She looks down at her empty glass, glaring at it. “The vodka isn’t the problem,” she mutters. He waits for her to continue. “It’s the three shots of tequila,” she confesses.

Josh’s eyebrows shoot toward the ceiling. He has had one eye on her all night and yet somehow missed her doing three shots.

“Yeah, that’ll get you,” he says. 

She sighs and Josh slides his water toward her. She takes it gratefully, and Josh waves the bartender over once more, taking care of his and Lucy’s tabs before slipping into his light jacket.

“You’re leaving?” she asks, and he’s surprised to find disappointment in her tone. 

He waits for her to finish the glass of water and then grabs her wrist lightly. “I’m taking you home, actually.” 

She shakes her head, but stands up anyways, pulling her bright red jacket on clumsily. 

“Actually, Marion is going to drive me home. She lives a block from me.”

He rolls his eyes, looking around to find Marion. She’s playing darts with Carter, a fellow Bexley, but she’s got water in her hands and a steady aim so he knows she’s sober. 

“Come on, follow me Shortcake,” he says, and she doesn’t complain when he slips his hand into hers to lead her out of the bar. She’s stumbling, even with his guidance. When the cool September air hits them, Lucy stops in her tracks. He watches as she takes in her surroundings and then points at the black bench on the sidewalk.

“Can we sit?” She’s looking up at him in a way he’s never really seen. Her guard is down, her eyes are confused. She’s vulnerable. 

He trails behind her carefully as she throws herself onto the bench, mumbling to herself unintelligibly the entire time. He can make out a few words. Tall. Shortcake. Drunk. Joshua. 

He sits down beside her, and she looks up at him. “I’m drunk,” she confesses as if it’s a well kept secret.

He laughs at this, and her eyes light up in response. A huge smile spreads across her perfect face as she points at him, her finger a mere inch from his nose. 

“What in the world is happening right now?” Josh asks after another laugh.

“You smiled! You smiles and it’s beautiful. And that means you lost.”

He’s confused, but he feels a little warmth at her kind words. “Lost what?”

“The game…” she says, rolling her eyes as if she’s explaining that two plus two indeed equals four. 

“Right,” he says breezily. She keeps her eyes on him. They trails from his hair to his eyes to his lips, back to his eyes. 

“You look… softer than usual.” Her eyes continue to scan his body. Hair. Nose. Ears. Shoulders. Chest. They linger at his waist, and then dart back to his eyes. He fights his need to cross his arms awkwardly over his chest. 

“This is probably your worst nightmare, huh?” she slurs. “Having to sit out here while drunk Lucinda Shortcake just babbles on. I know you hate me… I mean… I don’t know… why?”

He opens his mouth to speak, to tell her that he doesn’t hate her, that this isn’t his worst nightmare, and that he just wants to hold her. But he doesn’t because she cuts him off. 

“It’s okay, but can I tell you a secret?” She doesn’t wait for his response. “I don’t really hate you. I mean… sometimes I think I do. But sometimes I think our games are kind of fun. You’re so clever. It’s kind of fun to spar with you.”

He grins because he can’t help himself. “Lucy, I--”

“Shh.”

She presses her index finger to his lips to silence him. He closes his eyes to savor the little moment. When he opens his eyes, she’s staring at his lips again. Slowly, she puts her hand back into her lap. “You don’t have to say anything. Can I just have this moment, even though I won’t remember it tomorrow?”

He swallows hard. He wants her to remember this tomorrow. He wants to start over. He wants to go back to that first day, and he wants to smile back at her. Regret tugs on his heart, falling into a pit in his stomach. 

He nods. She leans into him, her head snuggling into his chest. “I’m just gonna sit here ‘till the world stops spinning,” she whispers. He wraps his arm around her slowly. 

“Take your time,” he says. 

“You fit me just right,” she says, and it’s so quiet that he almost doesn’t hear it. But the words cause goosebumps to rise up his arms. 

“Yeah,” he agrees. 

He wonders if maybe tomorrow things will be different. She’ll remember this. She’ll know that he can’t possibly hate her. She’ll remember that he held her. Maybe she’ll remember that… she does fit him just right. In every way. She lifts her hand and runs it softly up and down his chest. She leaves a trail of fire and ashes everywhere she touches. He lets out a shaky breath. 

He closes his eyes. He wants to catalog this moment away for the future. Never wants to forget her soft touch, her small smile, her gentle words. These tiny things, a smile, a couple of kind words--they’re all he has. And he has learned how to cherish in the little that he gets from Lucy Hutton. 

“There you are!” comes Marion’s shrill cry. “You scared me half to death, Luce!” 

Lucy’s reaction is delayed, but she still jumps, putting at least a foot a space between herself and Josh. He catches her eyes, and he can barely breathe under her kind, warm stare.

“Thanks, Josh,” she mutters. “And sorry for all…” she trails off, but points at herself as an explanation. He shakes his head.

Marion looks awkwardly between Josh and Lucy and then sighs. “I can’t keep up with you two. Lord almighty.” She grabs Lucy’s hand and with one last look, she’s being dragged away to a Prius. 

He begins to think that maybe, if he just kissed her one day, she’d kiss him back. And the walls would come crumbling down. She’d know that he loves her, and everything could be different. He’s not sure, though, it’s just a theory he’s working on.


End file.
